Journeyman
by supa-dupa-lemonade
Summary: 16 year old Ash Ketchum has been stuck working on Oak Ranch for 4 years, but now he has his full trainers license and with his best friend Jolteon at his side, he's ready to make his mark on the world. The Endgame? Pokemon champion.


xX Journeyman Xx

Staring out his bedroom window Ash watched the light foot traffic for a minute, bathed in soft light as the sun rose. Everyone was moving in the same direction, and he would be joining them on this peaceful morning for the last time. Pallet Town isn't the most dramatic place to start a journey he reflected amused, picking familiar faces out of the daily migration in his quaint town.

It was time to go though, hefting his pack onto his shoulder and pushing his way out of his bedroom. Out the front door, he gave a light whistle and from the backyard came a streak of light, stopping dutifully at his side.

Ash smiled at his companion. Jolteon was a canine Pokémon, standing about waist high on all fours, compared to his trainer's taller six-foot frame. The dog had yellow fur, except for the ring of white around his neck that stuck out, looking like an astonishingly large and spiky collar, giant ears adorned his head, and ink black eyes overshadowed his large canines and pointed teeth.

"You ready bud?" Ash murmured as he knelt to give his first Pokémon a light scratch behind one of its giant ears. A growl of content reverberated through the canine's body as the teen scratched.

"Let's join the rush then."

Standing and heading out into the groups of people all traveling the same way with Jolteon walking with him.

Pallet had been his home for 16 years, and he had walked down this road to work at Oaks lab for the last 4 of them. It was located on the northeast border of Pallet and stretched thousands of acres with dozens of artificial and natural habitats. The building itself was monumental, with a dormitory and a multitude of individual labs; the rest of pallet could easily fit inside the monumental building.

It was only a few minutes of walking, but practically everyone he saw at one point sidled up next to him with similar hand shakes, pats on the back and wishes of good luck. Ash smiled brightly and happily thanked everyone.

The teen smiled even wider as they passed the Pallet House restaurant, his mom, Delia, was stationed at the walk through window. Handing out a mass of breakfast wraps and sandwiches from the pile on the counter next to her, dropping tallies on people's tabs as the commuters who couldn't or wouldn't cook breakfast so early in the morning grabbed a bite on the go. Ash saw her bright expression turn watery as they made eye contact. Giving his mom a small smile and wave he continued on, pointedly ignoring the over the top arm flails his mom sent back to him.

As he got closer to the lab it was easy to spot the mob of people surrounding a red convertible, an uproar of screamed good lucks and congratulations and the odd murmur of people wondering if they should have brought their boss's grandson a present for his journey. Ash scowled lightly as the people who he had walked with, and congratulated him practically sprinted to join the ever-growing group of people.

Suck ups.

Ash didn't have to see who was sitting in the flashy car to know who it was. Gary Oak attracted crowds everywhere he went. When your grandfather was one of the most influential and powerful men on the planet, it was hard not to. Especially not now, since Gary had torn up the high school circuit and was the Kanto high-school champion. Not to mention doing it as a junior, well technically senior since the Oak had graduated a year early. He'd made a name for himself and it probably didn't hurt that Gary was an attractive guy who pulled in tons of female fans.

Gary stood on the hood of his car; he was an inch or two taller than Ash, standing around six foot two with long spiky chestnut hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a long sleeve purple shirt and a ying and yang medallion.

Ash watched the azure eyes flit along the outer edges of the mob, scanning the people in the crowd constantly looking for someone.

Looking for him.

Which made the teen curse his clothes at that point, his signature red and white hat containing raven black hair, a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and red and black plaid long sleeve. His looked hadn't changed much since he was ten, only the sizes had.

Pulling his hat low, shadowing his face and staring at his shoes, Ash tried to inconspicuously skirt his way around the crowd to get inside before Gary spotted him.

Lady Luck was not on his side today though.

"Oi! Ashy-Boy! You did decide to show up after all, I thought you'd wimp out!" he called over the crowd, which quieted them down. It was a relatively stale comment from the usually sharp tongued teen, but still pulled a few hearty laughs from the biggest ass kissers, mingled with awkward chuckles and looks as people didn't know whether to laugh for the inheritor of the company, or defend their coworker. His Pokémon was the only one completely on his side, as Jolteon growled deeply and bared his teeth.

Turning back to the crowd, Gary announced "Thank you all for your support! You can be sure that I will make Pallet proud this indigo league season" claps and a few cheers followed Gary as Ash waited for the other teen, and they walked inside. As soon as they had, Gary's large smile vanished "bunch of mooches trying to get in good with gramps family" he murmured darkly.

Ash wisely kept quiet, giving a small wave to the secretary at the front desk. The building was already very much alive for such an early hour as people in lab coats with clipboards and files scurried their way through the halls.

As they walked Gary unclipped one of the three poke balls on his waist and it snapped open, releasing a midnight black canine with large electric blue rings, which formed next to the group of three. Instantly Jolteon's hackles raised and his growl intensified, while sparks began to dance in his fur. The Umbreon next to Gary mirroring Jolteons actions but it was black energy intermixed with bits of bright blue that began to ooze out it's body.

"None of that now" Ash admonished with a slight bat to the electric Pokémon's nose, which instantly wrinkled in annoyance, a whimper of disappointment as it looked at the other eeveelution, but otherwise Jolteon relented as they continued down the halls. Ash let out a light chuckle as Gary and Umbreon practically copied their actions, nose tap and pitiful whining and all.

Turning into a large waiting room, a pretty middle aged woman sat behind the desk at the far end of the room "Good morning Ash, Gary, the professor is waiting for you" They both sent her nods and opened the door next to her large desk. The professor's office was almost as large as the waiting room; it was bright, three white walls, lined with filing cabinets and bookcases, two large leather chairs faced a giant desk. It was plain and made of Oak due to a prank when him and Gary were younger, changing the order from an elegant looking mahogany one to the larger and duller Oak one. Even months later the two boys had laughed loudly every time they saw it. The Professor hadn't been as amused, but had kept it anyway.

Behind the desk sat Professor Samuel Oak, he was almost half a foot shorter than Ash, with grey hair and an easy grin, wearing a button up shirt and the seemingly always in fashion lab coat.

"Boys."

"Gramps/Professor" they responded coming to a halt each behind one chair, their eeveelutions sitting dutifully by their side.

"It seems we're just waiting for Ms. Green then"

It was about 10 minutes of Pokémon talk between the three guys, as well as Ash having to keep Jolteon occupied. The pup had little patience and was getting antsy, constantly pawing at his trainer's feet, before a small flash of light next to Ash cut him off and a girl blinked into existence next to him. An Alakazam held onto her shoulder, with its other arm on a short Jigglypuff's head that stood beside her, in the next second the Alakazam flashed away.

Leaf Green stood there, a wrinkled small black dress on, long dark brown hair framed the giant sunglasses that rested on a small button nose, a bottle of water clutched tightly in her hand. Any perfume she might have worn was easily overpowered by the smell of booze that clung to her causing Ash to almost gag.

"Professor Oak, Ash, Gary" Leaf smiled looking over at them.

"You're a little late Green" Ash chastised his best friend.

"Sorry boys" she drawled out lazily "my friends wanted to send me off with a 'proper' goodbye, and you of the lesser sex are much to eager to part with your money to buy a pretty girl drinks."

All three men sent her annoyed glares before Samuel cleared his throat.

"Now that you're here lets begin, it should be quick since you've already filled out your paperwork and I've filed it all with the league. Your trainers licenses" Oak stated, reaching into a drawer on his right and pulling out what looked like three credit cards, handing one to each. Ash took a moment to admire it. It held a picture of his face next to all his information and his trainer id number, with a small chip at the middle of the right side. Ash clutched it tightly in his hand. Professor Oak had had to pull some strings for him to get his full license so early, and personally vouch for the teen, and now that he had it, he wasn't about to let it go.

"Oak Labs is your sponsor, I'll cover most trainer expenses. _Trainer_ expenses" he emphasized with a hard look at Leaf and Gary. They only smirked in response. "You're the first new trainers I've sponsored in a couple years, you represent me, my business and all the people working here. Do not make me regret trusting you." Oak warned looking each of the three in their eyes before nodding in satisfaction.

Opening a different drawer he pulled out three wallet sized devices "Gary will already know what these are, he helped me with a little programming. I call it a pokedex. It's basically a Pokémon encyclopedia. Everything from their cry or roar, and known nesting areas, to their full anatomy and lists of documented attacks used by the species."

Leaf let out a light "Whoa" and Ash whistled in appreciation. The latter eagerly snatched the red one out of the professors hand, ignoring the annoyed glare he received and flipped open the device, the red covering opening like a book to show a large screen with a couple buttons on the bottom and a full keypad on the other side.

 **My name is Dexter, how can I help you today Master Ash?**

Said trainer almost dropped it in surprise.

"Did I mention I that I managed to get my hands on some of the artificial intelligence notes from the Porygon Project? Its not a complete AI, but it's the best I could do for these prototypes. You're just lucky you grabbed the right one out of the three" Samuel stated with a smirk, handing the green pokedex to Leaf and the blue to Gary "The league also owed me a favor so you'll notice the map and gps feature that should show you wherever you are in the world, they're letting me piggyback on the Rangers satellite. Their will be a surprise or two waiting for you as well once you explore it further, but for now, please put them away" Gary and Ash slid theirs into their pocket, while Leaf slid hers into the top of her dress.

"What? Now I'm balanced, cell phone in one side, pokedex in the other."

Professor Oak just coughed awkwardly to bring the attention back on him "that's about it, just remember to check in with me regularly and don't make me cut your credit cards and we'll all be happy, do you have any questions for me?" The three young trainers shook theirs heads without hesitation "if you don't have any questions left I really must prepare for when Gilbert" the name was said with some distaste "shows up for his Pokémon this afternoon."

Ash frowned as well at the mention of the mayor's son. The Oak's have had a one-sided feud with the mayor's family for a long time, as many Pallet residents tended to follow Samuel's lead rather than the mayor's, which brought about some bad blood between the two. Not to mention Gary and Gilbert were both obnoxious and cocky as hell, tending to view others as below themselves, which included each other, which caused them to butt heads and argue a lot. The only difference was Gary knew where the line was drawn and when to show respect for people. Gilbert held no such reservations, even when it came to someone as credited as Professor Oak

Gary groaned "seriously Gramps? You're sponsoring that scrub?"

Oak's face kept a neutral look "Think of it as extending an olive branch"

"Think of it as doing a giant favor for some second rate trainer who's going to burn out halfway through the gym circuit once he starts battling real Pokémon"

"Then that just means you won't have to deal with him longer than you need to doesn't it?" Oak replied

"Rather not have to deal with that pain in the ass at all" Gary grumbled

"Hope you have some painkillers for the migraine you'll be going through" Ash joked trying to lighten the mood. It did succeed in getting a small laugh from the professor who didn't hesitate in his response.

"I hope you have some for your ribs after Delia hugs you goodbye" Oak shot back, and Ash's smiling face immediately turned to one of horror as he thought of his mothers hugs. They were normally enough to strain his ribs, but when he would be leaving for months on a potentially dangerous Pokémon journey? She might finally succeed in cracking a bone.

Samuel, Gary and Leaf just laughed uproariously at Ash's petrified face

"On that note, I'm gonna try and get out before our moms track us down, you guys want a ride to Viridian?" Gary offered and Leaf immediately accepted, while Ash shook his head in the negative though.

"Thanks, but I'm gonna walk I think, not in any rush."

"Suit yourself, smell ya later Ashy-boy" Gary turned on his heel with a salute to his grandfather and strutted off "I'll be out in the car Leaf."

"Yeah, one sec" Leaf called back then turned to Ash "Maybe we can travel together later, and I expect a call weekly on that ten pound dust collector you call a cell phone" Ash smiled sheepishly and Leaf deadpanned at him "you forgot it didn't you?"

"Well how am I supposed to remember it when I never use it!" Ash exclaimed loudly.

Leaf poked him in the chest harshly while glaring "well you better start using it, I'll be letting your mom know if I don't get any calls" then leaf pulled him into a hug "Just stay safe alright? And try have a little fun, meet some new people, Arceus knows you need to extend your social circle larger than me, Gary, and your 60 year old coworkers."

"Yeah, yeah I'll try Leaf, you stay safe too" Leaf just smiled and walked out as well.

"Check your pockets Ash" Oak advised not even looking up from the stack of papers in front of him.

"Eh?" Ash patted his pockets and immediately realized what her secondary reason for the hug was.

"LEAF! GIVE ME BACK MY WALLET" A shriek of laughter down the hall erupted from the young con artist and Ash waved to his Pokémon to follow him as he tore out of the office.

* * *

Ash stood outside the Pallet House restaurant and bar. The short trip over had filled him with a deep sense of dread that only multiplied as he stared through the glass doors, watching people eat their food in unaware bliss.

Jolteon sat on his haunches and smirked up at his trainer

"I guess I better get this over with" Ash muttered looking over his shoulder "and would you two stop following me!" Ash cried out angrily, as Gary and Leaf stood behind him, phones out and cameras pointed at him

Ash just grumbled, annoyed as he pushed the glass doors, the chimes lightly tinkling as they swung open and Ash entered, Jolteon at his heel.

Jessica was the waitress today, she was a couple years older than Ash and just graduated high school in Cerulean City, but still came home in the summer to work for his mom as usual.

She smirked as Ash walked in resigned to his fate, calling out playfully "dead man walking" which got some snickers from Gary and Leaf as they sidled up next to the waitress. Ash just scowled causing her to laugh "you know where to find her" jabbing a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen.

Ash just walked past quietly, feeling their eyes glued to him.

He loved his mom. He really did, she was the most important and influential person in his life. Even knowing that, as soon as he stepped back into the kitchen and his mom noticed him, he would have rather been almost anywhere on the planet than in the same room as her.

Her eyes were immediately filled with tears as she rushed him and pulled him into a hug. He was an inch or two taller than his mom, as well as much more muscular, but there was no doubt in Ash's mind that no matter how big or brawny he got, he would never be able to hug someone as tightly as his mom. Was that a crack? Ya, she definitely cracked a rib Ash decided, trying desperately to suck in a breath all the while his mom bawled her eyes out, repeating mantras like 'my baby boy is leaving' and 'you grew up too fast' over and over.

Hearing stifled laughter Ash craned his neck to see three heads comically stacked in the doorway, phones pointed towards him, literally biting their cheeks to keep from bursting out in laughter. He tried to send a dirty look, but it must've come off as pitiful as Leaf and Jessica ducked away from the door and he heard their distinctive high-pitched laughter ring out.

Ash resigned himself to his fate for the next few minutes, trying to laugh it off as his mom went from hugging, to letting go and gathering herself, only to look at him again and once more break down and subject him to hugs and kisses on the cheek.

Finally, mercifully, she got ahold of herself.

"You good?" Ash asked with a small smile.

Delia just wiped a few tears away and gave him a watery smile "I will be."

Ash nodded and gestured to the electric type at his feet who he swore was smirking "Don't forget about Jolteon"

Ash smirked as he watched his mom sweep up his starter Pokémon, who was fed and squeezed and scratched until he was let go, a stuffed ball of goo with glazed eyes.

"Do you have everything? You double checked?" Delia asked and Ash just looked at his mom with an exasperated expression as she began to lead Ash out of the kitchen and to the front doors of Pallet House, Jolteon staggering along behind.

"You were with me when I packed last night."

"Right, right, just making sure you didn't take anything out, I know you said you had too many pairs, but clean underwear is very important!" Ash turned red.

"Mom!"

"What? It is! Right girls?" She asked the gleefully smiling Leaf and Jessica, who nodded in faux seriousness.

"Very important, what happens if you meet a girl on your travels and she realizes you're wearing dirty underwear?" Jessica stated without a hint of humor.

His mom lit up "That's another thing! I know you're teenager now and you're going to meet girls on your travels, which is why we had that talk the other night."

Everyone in the restaurant was now watching with giant grins as Ash tried to interject "MO-"

Only to be cut off as she continued overtop of him "BUT don't take that as permission to do whatever you want! I don't want any grandbabies yet so you better be careful" she then leaned in slightly to whisper "That's why I added a box of condoms into your pack while you were eating, just in case" the only problem was she had said it much to loud to count as a whisper. Ash heard the muffled laughter as people averted their eyes trying to be respectful of the 'private conversation'.

"Mom!" Ash cried out, face now a deep red.

"I read magazines! I know how young some of you teens start your sexual experimenting, don't take me for an idiot Ash Ketchum!"

"Arceus, Mew, can anybody help me, hell, I'll settle for Giratina right now" Ash muttered dropping his face into his hands.

"Now have fun on your journey, don't get into trouble and stay safe. There's nothing wrong with coming home early either if you don't like it or you get home sick! And you better call home at least once a week mister. No excuses" Ash just nodded along, anything to get away from this situation quicker.

"Yes, safe, call weekly, have fun, got it, bye mom" Ash spoke quickly, sprinting for the front doors and flinging them open. As he ran out he heard Jessica practically crying with laughter and declaring "Best. Day. Ever". He did smirk though as he heard Leaf and Gary laughing only to get caught up by his mothers sugar sweet tone "And what are you two laughing at? You think Ash is the only one this applies to? I've already had the talk with you Leaf but I know for a fact your mother has been avoiding it Gary. Now sit and listen."

* * *

Ash waved, watching as Leaf and Gary sped off down Route 1, which was really just a gravel road that connected the coastal Pallet Town and Viridian City. Gary's car sped off in a dust cloud, overflowing with food and snacks from his own, as well as Ash's mother, both teens' ribs probably sore from bone crushing hugs. Ash sure as hell knew his still ached from the two mothers goodbye half an hour ago. Jolteon sat at his side as they left twitching with pent up energy from the slow morning they had had so far.

The road to Viridian was a straight shot to the city and would be hours quicker than any of the trainer trails around Pallet, if he took it he might be able to make it before nightfall the next day.

Trainer trails were one of the most useful places a trainer could familiarize himself with, they crossed through Pokémon migratory routes, watering holes, and habitats, a great place for trainers looking to add to their team, or to get battle experience against wild Pokémon, they veered off the main routes that most Pokémon avoided.

Ash planned to walk along the inlet though; see if any interesting Pokémon decided to swim in from the open ocean, or come by for a dip to cool off, hopefully find something other than the usual birds and rats that monopolized the forest north of Pallet. Not that they were bad Pokémon, a Pidgeot would be a great addition to any team, but they were a little too common for his taste and slightly limited in the attacks they could learn, and the advantage of such a diverse range of attacks that a Raticate could be taught was nullified by them being horridly underpowered.

Besides, there were a few perks to working so closely to the number one authority in Kanto on Pokémon, including paperwork from the league on the tracking of rare Pokémon and their habitats being one. Ash sure as hell wasn't about to let that confidential slip of information go to waste. Unfortunately none of these areas was around Pallet.

Turning and making his way into the forest Ash sighed in relief from the tree shadows and knew he made the right decision. Walking down a gravel road for hours in the Kanto summer sun was an invitation for heat stroke. It was also a good choice to listen to his mom and change into a plain white tee and tan cargo shorts rather than his usual jeans and long sleeve he was required to wear for work.

Heading west to the inlet Ash walked at a leisurely pace, it was the end of July and he still had two weeks before the league even opened and he could register, let alone start battling gym leaders.

Jolteon's ear flickered in a distinctive pattern and Ash didn't even have to look up to know that there would be a couple of Spearow in the trees above him, watching.

This particular flock had tried giving commuters trouble for awhile, claiming route 1 as their territory and just a couple months ago Samuel had sent Ash to deal with it. The Fearow leader had come to him directly after Jolteon had easily dispatched the few Spearow who had begun to heckle the duo. It was a monster, with a huge wingspan and long bladelike beak and had given Jolteon a much harder battle than Ash expected, but had ultimately been forced to retreat. Ash was sure if he hadn't had the type advantage they would have lost. Now a few members of the flock always watched him when he entered the forest, never attacking or harassing, just following and observing.

It wasn't far to the coastline, around twenty minutes and the duo was walking along the grassy bank, small ocean waves lapping lazily against the bank next to him

As they set off along the edge Ash pulled out his new shiny red pokedex "might as well start figuring out how this thing works" he muttered to himself, flipping the device open.

A half an hour later and Ash was only getting more and more impressed with the device as he continued to discover and use the interesting features. Jolteon had found playmates in a pair of Raticate who he was currently crashing through the bush with as Ash opened every app and continued to look through Pokémon data entries.

It was all very peaceful and relaxing.

He was cut off of his musing by a eardrum shattering roar, causing the trainer to cover his ears with a wince and look ahead, a few hundred feet down the was a slight bend, a geyser of water exploded dozens of feet in the air, over the already impressively tall trees.

Jolteon was at his side in a flash, his playmates as well as the Spearow nowhere in sight.

A roar like that would send most people and Pokémon running with their tail tucked and face pale.

Ash and Jolteon weren't so easily cowed.

A large grin stretched his face, as the young trainer looked down at his companion, whose eyes were lit up in excitement. The next moment they both took off in a sprint toward the geyser and source of the roar.

It wasn't even a minute before he was taking the bend and his eyes widened and he looked up. And up. And up.

The water snake of trainer's wet dreams and children's nightmares rose twenty feet out of the water, It's gaping maw was littered with teeth as long as Ash's own arm, it's tubular body adorned with giant blue razor sharp frills and scales the size of his hand overlapped heavily, armoring the titanic Pokémon.

A Gyarados. A freaking Gyarados had swum in close to shore.

A couple years back Ash had thought about catching one. Gyarados are incredibly hardy and rare for trainers. It was easy enough to spot them, their 30-foot snake like bodies roping through the water were pretty common in any area of open ocean, especially around the tropical orange islands or off the coast of Cinnabar. The real challenge wasn't finding one; it was in actually being able to capture it and then tame it. They usually swam in pods of 4-6 only in rare cases did they go solo, mainly if they had disputes with the pod leader or attempted to take the spot and failed. Fighting one was hard enough, but keeping 5 others busy while you attempt to capture a member of their pod? that is suicidal if you're not a first class trainer. Not to mention they were infamously temperamental and negative towards trainers and people in general. Getting one from its pre-evolved form was just as hard, any Magikarp smart enough to be able to train and feed to evolve stuck to those pods of Gyarados like glue for protection. Any Karp alone around Pallet (which were plentiful in number) was going to be dumber than a rock, so he had dismissed the thought.

But here one was. Alone. Wild. Catchable.

"Hit him with another thunderbolt!"

Ash was snapped out his awestruck giddiness and felt all his hopes come crashing down as he noticed the previously hidden purple starfish whipping around the giant water type, it's front and back halves spinning opposite directions for a second before a bolt of lightning went rocketing, nailing the giant between the eyes and causing it to rear up and roar in pain.

Ash didn't even spare the trainer a look as his eyes were glued to the battle.

The Starmie was fast, and obviously had strong psychic tendencies as it flew around the wyrm, blasting it with electricity as the Gyarados snapped it jaws, continually attempting to bite down on the purple annoyance that darted in and out if it's range.

The Gyarados was slowing down, getting sloppier in its lunges and missing by greater increments.

"Finish him" Ash distantly heard the still unidentified trainer call out and the Starmie spun even faster, yellow sparks began shooting out from the starfish until it finally unleashed an absolute pillar of electricity.

The Gyarados didn't even roar, as it's whole body seized up, then crashed on the ground like a sack of bricks, literally causing the ground to shake.

A black and yellow poke ball Ash identified as an ultra ball hit the Gyarados and the Pokémon turned into a giant mass of red energy, disappearing into the small sphere.

It didn't even shake, the Pokémon not able to fight at all.

Ash whistled in appreciation and clapped as he walked up to the trainer who was picking up her newest member.

He did a once over as she stood up, only a couple inches shorter than him, long light orange hair hung down her back, creamy white skin barely covered by a bikini top and jean short shorts held in place by a large white belt with seven poke balls attached to the side and wearing a small drawstring backpack.

The girl was easily recognizable as she raised a well-manicured eyebrow at him.

"I wonder how many challengers are going to think twice about battling when you release that monster into the pool" Ash started, walking up to the ginger woman, who didn't seem at all surprised that she was recognized.

Why should she? Top Models and actresses for sisters and a mother, as well as her father being the previous Cerulean City gym leader and now one of the richest businessmen in Kanto. Then there was Misty herself, the youngest daughter and successor of her father at the water gym, not to mention the youngest gym leader in Kanto at 21 years old. Her family couldn't spend a month out of tabloids or magazines even if they tried. Which they didn't, the Waterflower family loved attention.

"Just the weak ones" she replied with a smirk, and held out a hand "Misty Waterflower."

Ash grinned and shook the hand "Ash Ketchum."

A finger went to her chin as Misty struck a thinking pose "can't say I've heard of you."

Ash just sheepishly grinned and rubbed the back of his head "I just started my journey and I didn't go to high school."

"Mhmm" Misty voiced, then looked down and froze "Oh. My. Arceus." She squealed. Ash gaped as the supposed 'tomboy' of the Waterflower's kneeled down with her hands clasped in front of her chest right beside Jolteon who watched her warily.

Jolteon looked decidedly uncomfortably with the girl in his face and pawed at his trainer, prompting Ash to absentmindedly scratch his canine's ears.

"Your Jolteon is like, so cute!" Misty suddenly stopped and clamped a hand over her mouth with wide eyes.

She stood up and wiped imaginary dust from her shorts casually, then Ash felt sweat break out on his forehead as she grabbed him by the collar with the meanest glare he had ever been on the receiving end of and held her other fist up threateningly.

"If you tell anybody I spoke like that, they'll never find your body," she threatened, voice-dripping venom.

Ash nodded quickly and praised Arceus that he somehow kept control of his bladder, as she let him go, and the aura of his imminent death receded.

"So what's the Cerulean gym leader doing near Pallet?" Ash asked trying to change the subject as quick as possible. His hometown wasn't exactly a tourist hotspot. Mostly just sailors pulling in to port for the night, people looking for cheap fare to Cinnabar or Johto and lab visitors.

"I chartered one of those private tours that take you around to Pokémon hotspots and spawning sites" Ash knew those businesses, quite a few of the touring groups had Pallet as a pickup spot "I was going to see if I can expand my team a bit before the season starts you know? Start training up some new blood to use against rookies, but I'll probably head back to Viridian and cancel now, I'll have my hands full with this guy for awhile" Misty replied, her hand glancing over the newest poke ball on her belt "I'm guessing you're headed to Viridian?"

"Yep! Just taking it easy, league doesn't open for another two weeks... but I guess you'd know that" Ash stated, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

Misty laughed lightly "come on then, maybe your company won't be too terrible for the walk back to the city" she turned on her heel and began walking away, the purple starfish floating along behind her. Ash just blinked and then scrambled to catch up.

* * *

The day had gone by incredibly fast Ash thought as he and Misty traversed the streets of Viridian slowly, the sun having almost set already and the sky darkened. They had spent the whole day talking, mainly about Pokémon, as the gym leader gave him some great tips for when he eventually added a water type to his team. Misty had such an intense personality when she was shown on TV, if not a slightly cocky one, but in real life she was a lot more down to earth than he expected, a little flirty, and pretty quick to anger (never underestimate the cuteness of a water Pokémon, even one as dull looking as a Quagsire apparently) but they ended up getting along easily.

Ash led the way through the streets, Viridian City was no stranger to him, once or twice a month he was sent on errands with other lab employees to pick up requested items, things the researchers and scientists couldn't (or more usually, didn't) want to order and wait for.

"You come here often? Looks like you know your way around" Misty asked and Ash nodded.

"Yeah, I ran a lot of errands for the lab here, helping researchers load up gear or supplies if we run through our stock or pieces of hardware they need. Spent a weekend or two here on the training fields this past year too, I usually catch a ride in with some of the younger lab workers who come up to blow off some steam and visit their friends. It's a pretty short drive so lots of people coming and going from the city, it's not hard to bum a ride from someone."

Misty nodded along as she pulled out a touch screen cell phone and began tapping away as the street lights flickered to life above them. Finally turning a corner, the Poke center stood at the end of the street, bright red roof sticking out like a sore thumb compared to the dull grey and flashy glass buildings that were common in Viridian.

Misty tapped out one last message and then put her phone in one of her tiny shorts pockets, still sticking out halfway, and Ash got his second look that day at an Alakazam, as one flashed into existence in front of them.

"This is my ride" Misty joked as she turned to Ash "It was nice to meet you Ash, you were a good way to waste a travel day. Stop by the gym on your circuit, don't be a stranger alright?"

"Ya it was really nice to meet you to" Ash replied with a smile and extended his hand.

Misty accepted it and then stepped back with a wink "I'm really looking forward to.. _Battling_ you" she said with a slightly sultry tone, turning away from him and nodding at the psychic, who a red faced Ash swore rolled its eyes before dropping his hand on Misty's shoulder, and with a wave from the water trainer they were gone. Ash easily shook it off and walked into the red roofed building.

The Pokémon center was like a cheap hostel, it was a bunch of bunk beds strategically placed for maximum area use in a large room. They weren't private or classy, but they were cheap as hell and the center had a cafeteria and shower. He didn't want to get on top of Oaks shit list his first day by finding an expensive hotel, something Leaf and Gary were probably doing. In addition to being a cheap place to lay your head, the center was the first place he went to when he got to the city, it was always filled with locals and travellers as well as a community board littered with posters and flyers for local events. It was a great place for information. Unfortunately, or fortunately for his sleep, the center was empty except for him. Most trainers probably wouldn't even start travelling until the league opened, and he still had almost two weeks until then.

The nurse on duty had barely glanced from her cellphone when he walked in, and in an impressive show of multitasking had barely even looked up from the small screen as she swiped his ID and charged him for a night, while letting him know that lights out was at 11 and the boys room was on the right.

That was only half an hour away and the whole day of travelling was wearing on him, so Ash walked the small hallway and entered the room, crashing on one of the beds. He was barely awake when he felt Jolteon hop up and curl into his side before sleep finally overtook him.

* * *

Freshly showered and with a belly full of food Ash left the building in the morning, waving goodbye to a new front desk worker, who seemed much more upbeat and didn't have her face stuck in her cell.

Jolteon was tucked away in his Poke ball, which hung on his belt. The canine didn't particularly like the city, the bus route went through downtown and the pollutants from the thousands of commuter's vehicles irritated them. It irritated Ash to, but he didn't have a place to escape to. The teen hopped on the bus he was looking for and resigned himself to a long couple hours of driving as it took off. He spent his time flipping through the Pokedex as they drove, and a couple of transfers and hours later he had made it from the South perimeter to the Northern, and jumped off at the entrance to Viridian Forest.

The only thing separating the forest from the City was a wide perimeter highway of concrete and a humongous chain link fence that barely contained the massive jungle of trees and brush that was Viridian Forest. The only breaks in the fence being the entrance building itself, a two story tall structure, vibrantly coloured and well maintained, as well as a gap beside the building wide enough for the semi's that drove through with loads of minerals and metals from the Pewter Mines.

Ash walked up and through the automatic sliding doors. Some people were milling around, including an older gentleman, ranting wildly to a younger kid, probably around his own age with a giant straw sunhat and butterfly net strapped to his back, who looked desperate to get out of the conversation, as the old man gestured wildly to a Pokeball in his hand.

The doors to the exit were semi blocked by cubicles, employees lazily tapping away at their keyboards as Ash sidled up to the desk of the most bored looking of the bunch, a guy who looked half awake, staring up at Ash with lidded eyes

"Name" he asked quietly.

"Ash Ketchum" Ash replied just as quietly, earning a small smile of gratitude from the guy.

"Reason for visiting Viridian Forest?"

"Travelling through to Pewter."

The guy grunted in confirmation and typed quickly "Pokémon trainer?" He questioned

"Yup, just got my full license."

"Congrats. If you end up catching any Pokémon try to remember whereabouts it was you bagged it" Ash frowned slightly at his phrasing but nodded along dutifully" and register it when you get to the other side" The guy looked up from his computer and seemed to be contemplating something for a moment as he eyed Ash up and down "If you plan on sticking around Pewter for a while you might want to come back. The League is doing a trial run on a bug catching competition about eight days from now, you know, like those super popular ones in Johto's national park? Rumor round the office is the League will be reintroducing some groups of rare Pokémon back into the forest a day or two before the competition."

Ash smiled widely and nodded "Thanks for the tip."

"No problem. Sign the waiver and you're good to head through. It's basic, you know, that you're responsible for your own actions, and you or your family can't sue if you're injured or die. Basic stuff." Ash sent the guy a deadpan look and picked up the plastic stylus as a small screen lit up in front of him. Ash signed it and his attendant tapped a few more keys before the guy shooed Ash away and dropped his head onto his arms.

Ash chuckled as he walked down the small hall out the door.

Viridian Forest was loud.

You get assimilated to it pretty quickly, but when you just stand and soak it in, the place was a hive of activity; from the small bugs that Bug Pokémon feast on, to the howling of a pack of Mankey in the distance and the calls of Pidgey and their evolutions high in the sky.

The first thing Ash had done once the doors closed behind him was release Jolteon, the canine took a minute to stretch his body out then ran around, Ash was content to watch his companion sprint and let loose some excess electricity for a few minutes while he observed the forest.

Jolteon eventually settled down and they were off, his electric pup trudging through the brush on either side of the wide dirt road that ran through the forest. The road was pretty decrepit, littered with potholes and uneven surfaces from the oversized transport trucks that passed through routinely.

Ash double-checked the GPS on his Pokedex and nodded when he saw it was working fine "Come on then, we're not going to see anything on this road" Ash told his companion, veering off into the bush. No Pokémon other than some slow Caterpie was going to come within a mile of the exhaust spewing trucks that could easily splatter most of the Pokémon in the forest.

* * *

Night began to fall and Ash collapsed with it. Lying out next to a small lake the teen sucked in air for a few minutes.

This forest was a stamina killer Ash griped. Walking through brush and trees could be tiring, but adding in moss that was so deep it sucked in his entire leg and just how tightly packed some areas of this jungle were, his lungs and legs were burning.

To make matters worse Jolteon was barely panting.

Jolteon was pretty heavy, but his paws were large and splayed, giving him a lot more surface area and he barely sunk as well.

Sprawled out on the ground dripping sweat Ash really debated if seeing a few bugs was really worth all this trouble, glaring at his still fresh looking companion, who only smirked back.

Ash wordlessly reached into his pack and pulled out a storage ball, releasing the small tent and sleeping bag from it.

Storage balls were relatively newer technology, special fibers woven into the fabric were picked up by the sensors of the ball and converted into a form able to be broken down and sucked into the small ball. Compared to storing a live, breathing animal or ghost Pokémon, creating something that can store supplies was child's play.

Normally the teen had no problems sleeping under the stars, he'd done it enough times, but according to every review and write up on the forest, the mosquitoes got absolutely vicious at night. Unless you had something that ate them, like a Butterfree or Venonat, you were in for a hell of night if you weren't protected.

Ash set up his tent, the side with the mesh window facing the lake; maybe he'd get lucky and some nocturnal Pokémon would come by. Supper was scarfed down quickly as it got darker outside, the bright half moon illuminated the forest, throwing shadows and sparkling off the lake, only broken as a Goldeen emerged, jumping into the air and capturing a mouth full of bugs that hovered over the body of water.

The forest never slept, even at night it was just as loud as the day. A Hoothoot near his tent called out, getting a return call from the other side of the lake. Ash was content to watch the wary owl hop forward to the edge of the lake, a second, larger Hoothoot joining him a moment later. Ash pulled out his Pokedex and snapped a picture of the tranquil scene; to go along with the few he had already taken of Jolteon.

There wasn't much Ash wanted to get out of visiting Viridian Forest, just explore a bit and do some training nothing to crazy. If he ran into a lone Mankey or Primeape he'd take his chance, but the odds of that were astronomical. All the Pokémon in Viridian were pack Pokémon. His friend was strong. Strong enough that he wasn't in the least bit hesitant to take on that stray Gyarados, but there was no way he was willing to take a chance going against a dozen or more fighting monkeys with only one Pokémon on his team.

* * *

The problem with training out in the wild Ash decided was that you couldn't go all out. On the ranch or at his house the two of them could train until they dropped. You just couldn't do that out in the forest, you needed some ability of protection for yourself as well as the fact if there was an emergency he had no idea if there was anyone within ten miles of him, and a Poke center was ever further.

He watched Jolteon diffuse his power into the ground and burrow into the soft earth, it still took about 5-10 seconds for him to go fully underground, still incredibly slow, but Jolteon was making fast progress.

Ash himself stood up from the set of crunches he had just completed and wiped the sweat from his forehead, taking a long swig from his water bottle.

Him and Jolteon had been partners for over two years, and they had trained and bled and sweat together almost every day. He knew his pup's strengths and weaknesses. They hadn't worked on widening his move pool too much, but it was still decently sized. They had focused more on the physical side of things, speed, strength and mastering the moves he already had, as well as manipulation and power of electricity.

Jolteon growth was slowing now as well, he had been a pup and Ash had worked the dog's body and kept him on a highly nutritious meal plan that the professor had developed as a favor, and the results showed. Ash doubted there were many, if any, Jolteon as large and streamlined as his own. But now that Jolteon's growth was beginning to slow down it was time to start moving on to expanding his control and moveset. He decided to start with dig. It was a pretty underrated move in his opinion and he had quite a few strategies developing in his head already that relied on the move. Thankfully Jolteon was making pretty quick progress with it, his mother had given the TM to him and Jolteon as a good luck present for his journey, so he had only started practicing a few days ago.

Ash checked the pokedex and it was about one in the afternoon, deciding it was late enough he called out to the electric type "Come on, lets get some lunch, then we'll hit the trails and continue north towards Pewter" Jolteon dipped his head in agreement making his way over.

* * *

Ash continued to stroll through the bush slowly, soaking up his surroundings and the feeling of being in nature happily. This is what he loved. Not the fast paced fate of people in of the city and their material lifestyle, nope, give him a walk with clean air and untouched… er. Relatively untouched, Ash amended, as he came out of the bush into a clearing that held a slightly decrepit looking wood cabin.

"kukukuku…. I feel your presence young one, did you believe you could hide your ill intentions from me?" Ash had no idea how to respond as he watched a man in plain grey robes stand from his cross-legged stance in front of the cabin; he was short, with a wrinkled bald head and a beard that almost reached his waist. A cane was clutched tightly in his right hand and a noticeable limp in his step "You have come to this peaceful place seeking pain! I will show you the folly of your ways!"

Ash's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, and he waved his hands in front of himself with a smile "Slow down there old-timer, I ju-"

"OLD TIMER!" the man bellowed " Such a grave insult for a man still in the prime of his life such as I! An insult that shall not go unpunished!" he brandished his cane like a sword "En Garde!" He called out, and stepped forward into a run.

Or he would have if on his second step the mans whole body didn't seize up and cause him to drop like a sack of bricks "GAH! MY BACK!"

Ash had no idea what to do, whether to laugh at the comic scene playing out in front of him or go and help the obviously in pain old man.

The decision was made for him as a second voice entered the clearing "Master!" a boy hopped out from the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing and made a beeline for the downed elder.

The new kid looked much more intimidating, he was built pretty short and stocky with dark samurai armor and an ornate helmet, as well as the sheathed sword Ash noticed clipped to his waist.

Jolteon must have noticed too, as the canine stepped in front of Ash and bared its teeth while lowering his front end closer to the ground aggressively, catching the 'samurai's' attention.

"Are you so without dishonor that you will have your companion fight your battles for you?!" The boy yelled angrily unsheathing his sword

"I don't even know what the hell is going on!" Ash yelled back throwing his arms up in exasperation "I was just walking through the bush when I stumbled across this clearing and that crazy old coot behind-"

"CRAZY OLD COOT! I'LL SHO- GERK! ARCEUS THIS HURTS"

"Right, as I was saying, when that guy decided to attack me!"

"A likely story, but I shall not be hoodwinked by your silver tongue trickster! Pinsir, prepare for battle!" a poke ball previously hidden by the armor was enlarged and thrown before Ash could get another word in.

Ash really had no idea how he had a silver tongue or how he even ended up in this situation but nonetheless analyzed the bug before him. It stood about equally as tall as Ash himself at six feet, four of those feet were the tough brown exoskeleton of its body whereas the metal crushing horns its species were known for stood about two feet long on top of its head.

The odd looking 'teeth' were pulled in as the Pinsir sucked in a deep breath, then blew out as the thing screamed a battle cry at Ash and Jolteon.

"Pinsir are hand to hand fighters and slow, stay in agility, keep your distance and tag it with thunderbolts" Ash murmured lowly, knowing Jolteon's extraordinary hearing would easily pick up his command.

Jolteon twitched as ear at Ash, signaling he heard then disappeared in a blur.

A bolt of electricity arced towards the bug type straight on but was easily sidestepped only for another to blast in the back in its blind spot only a moment later.

"Hit and run tactics!" The teen cried out sounding offended "How dishonorable, will you not step in to close combat to regain your merit?"

Ash just snorted "close combat against your Pinsir is not a battle I'm going to win" he admitted.

"Ah ha! you admit to being inferior to the glory of Pinsir and I's technique!"

"Er.. no" Ash admitted, pointing to a downed and slightly smoking brown husk that was laid out in the middle of the clearing.

The boy across from him dropped to his knees "How could we be defeated so easily. We trained so hard, going through our stances everyday and building or stamina and strength to new levels! Yet it has done no good"

Ash just slowly began backing away from the boy who was apparently going through a crisis, until the 'struggling' old man suddenly leapt to his feet easily and walked in front of his disciple.

"Do you see the folly of your actions now? I have been telling you to expand your repertoire to include long distance fighters for weeks and have been fought with every step! Believing only close combat fighting techniques to be enough. Your foolishness has led to this humiliation."

The boy shook for a moment before looking up at his master "I see now. Please master, teach me" the old man only nodded and then suddenly the teen was standing, dramatically pointing at Ash, who could swear he saw an honest to Arceus flame in the boys eyes "What is your name my esteemed adversary and where do you hail from?!"

"Err Ash. Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town"

The samurai nodded to himself, mirroring the old man beside him "A strong name for a worthy opponent. You have bested me this day Ash Ketchum! But I fear not! For I know in my heart that we will once again lock our blades in contest and when that time comes I will be prepared! You have shown me the error in my thinking and I thank you for it!" The boy and his master both bowed lowly to Ash, who just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "I wish you great luck in your future endeavors my rival! Now I must treat Pinsir" They both bowed once again, before each grabbing a horn of the bug type and dragging its body into the cabin.

Ash just looked down at Jolteon who sat on his haunches beside him "what the hell just happened." The electric type just shook its head.

* * *

The forest began to thin out over the next couple days as Ash made his way back to the main road, the trees slowly being replaced with large ridges of rock and boulders until he saw the building in the distance. It blended well, the dull concrete not brightly painted like the Viridian side and only a single level, compared to Viridians two storeys.

The forest hadn't really been what he expected during the time he'd spent in it training and travelling. He hadn't run into any of the many problems with the jungle, no Beedrill nests or packs of Pikachu and Mankey. He'd heard them, even seen some rather large bolts of lightning erupt into the sky, but they were quite a distance away. He'd come across some interesting Pokémon, Oddish and Gloom following a rather small Vileplume as well as some Poliwag and Poliwhirl frolicking on the shores of one of the many small lakes that dotted the forest.

No Pokémon that had really peaked his interest though.

The lack of trainers had been disheartening as well, but not unexpected, nobody was likely to travel until the league started. He'd come across some bug catchers and rangers, but they claimed to be to busy working to battle, preparing and securing the trails for when the forest would become a traffic highway for trainers.

Ash entered the building and signed off with an employee to show he safely made it out of the forest and stepped out of the building on the other side and got his first real look at Pewter.

The place was sprawled out, with short but numerous building and steel warehouses almost all colored the same drab brown or grey. Ash made his way through the city careful when crossing as large transport trucks and vans full of miners as well as some large vehicles of heavy machinery dominated the streets.

The Pokémon center was easy enough to spot, its bright red roof stuck out like a sore thumb among the surrounding buildings. Ash already had his plan for Pewter in his head as he entered the Center and signed in. Ash lay back on his bed as Jolteon curled into him running through the plan in his head.

The gym would open to Challengers in about a week, which coincidentally coincided with the bug catching contest, an opportunity he would not pass up on. The museum was first on his list tomorrow. Wake up nice and early, see the sight and then trek a ways into the mountains north of Pewter. Most of the northern mountains were picked pretty dry of their precious gems and weren't as abundant in metals as the ones to the east that connected to Mt. Moon so they were relatively left alone except for trainers and wild Pokémon.

He needed sleep though; tomorrow would be a long day.

* * *

The streets were alive so early in the morning, miners in hard hats and coveralls power walking through the streets as well as business owners setting up shop for the day, laying out product or last minute sweep ups.

The museum was the most northern building in Pewter and Ash marveled at the city gym as he walked past it. It wasn't flashy or eye catching in a sense. It was a basic domed building, a circular dark brown wall while the dome was obsidian black. It stood with several smaller buildings surrounding it, the sheer size was what he marveled at, being even larger than Oaks lab and easily taking up a city block on its own.

Ash stood and stared for a minute, feeling the familiar racing of his heart as he thought about his first gym battle. A wide grin split his face and he looked down to see Jolteon mirroring him. "Come on then, let's check the museum and then go prepare for our battle" Ash said, turning and continuing down the sidewalk, Jolteon stood and watched the building another moment before trotting and catching up with his trainer.

Ash paid the fee and the attendant raised an eyebrow at Jolteon who stared back unblinkingly. The attendant squirmed as the full black eyes regarded him, Jolteon giving his best 'see how cute I am' look. "Don't worry, Jolt here won't touch a thing right buddy?" Ash stated, trying to placate the attendant, while Jolteon nodded along.

The attendant just sighed then nodded and waved them through and Ash grinned widely as they strolled into the building.

The place was pretty empty this early in the morning, the duo passing a few children who were shrieking with laughter as they used the interactive videos and games.

They continued on, arriving at the fossil room. It was a circular room, with pedestals and glass cases along the wall and an even smaller circular wall in the middle that lit up as soon as Ash crossed the threshold.

The semblance of a man appeared in the middle, shining a translucent blue. He was shorter than Ash, a pretty average height, with a bald head and fluffy blue eyebrows, looking to be a bit older than middle aged.

"Hello there!" the man waved jovially "My name is Dr. Fuji! I'm a fossil and ancient Pokémon researcher, and dare I say an expert in the field!" he laughed "These fossils here have been donated from my own personal collection to this museum in the hopes that they will inspire you, and one day you might take up a role in research yourself!" Ash snorted, fat chance of that happening "Who knows, maybe one day you will come work for me in my ongoing venture to bring these extinct Pokémon back to life!" Suddenly the televisions above each pedestal lit up, scrolling through pictures of artist's renditions of each Pokémon and the hologram disappeared.

Ash and Jolteon walked the circle admiring the many pictures and fossils. Aerodactyl, Kabutops, Omastar, Rampardos as well as a half dozen others and their evolutionary lines circled the room.

"Hello there!" Ash jerked out of his reverie and saw the hologram come back to life as a couple of kids came flying into the room with there parents walking in after

"Come on bud, the space section doesn't open for a few more months, lets go train"

* * *

The terrain was rough, but Ash much preferred the sloping cliff trails to the thigh high moss of Viridian Forest. Him and Jolteon had been gone from Pewter for two days already. Half the day walking, the other half training as the duo explored the mountain range North of the city. The trails were noticeably worn from explorers and trainers, but not even close to the extent of most in Viridian and around Pallet. It was a wild place though, gauges and holes in the cliffs where Onix had slithered along then disappeared back into the earth were abundant, and he had seen Geodude and Graveler, even a couple of Golem watching him warily from high up.

The trail eventually led him to a valley between mountains and Ash stopped dead and dropped into a crouch behind one of the hundreds of giant boulders that littered the area.

A herd of Rhyhorn was sprawled about, soaking in the sun while half a dozen Rhydon grouped together and whirred their horns and grunted in communication, sending glances to a lone Rhydon off to the side. It looked like a recent evolution, standing only a few inches taller than Ash himself, rather than the few feet the rest of the Rhydon outgrew him by.

Suddenly the largest of the Rhydon turned to the lone one, slamming its hands together and then throwing them out.

The Rhydon bellowed angrily and stamped its foot, its horn spinning dangerously.

The Rhydon all turned then and _bellowed_ and Ash had to cover his ears as they rang hurtfully.

The lone Rhydon stared angrily at the group before snorting and turning away, walking right towards Ash.

Ash grinned and stepped out from behind his boulder, making eye contact with the ground type. Jolteon stepped out in front of Ash and howled a challenge, a grin matching his owners in excitement.

The Rhydon roared back and Ash looked behind it to see the group of Rhydon rounding up the Rhyhorn and then sitting back to watch.

The Rhydon broke into a sprint and Jolteon did as well, holding back on his speed. They were only a few feet apart, the ground type lowering its whirling horn to gauge its opponent when Jolteon slipped into agility and disappeared from sight.

Ash smirked as the drill Pokémon skidded to a stop and looked around warily, tail twitching side to side. "Take out his leg" Ash whispered and in a flash Jolteon was at its side, hind legs glowing as they reared in and lashed out at its knee. There was a resonating crack and the Rhydon bellowed out in pain and fell.

"Now the head" Jolteon flashed up to his head as the ground type writhed in agony on the ground, the double kick lighting up the canines back legs again. The Rhydon though flailed again and Jolteon yelped as one of its arms caught the much smaller electric type and sent it sprawling a few feet away.

Ash just waited a few moments and Jolteon was back up, while the Rhydon gained control and gingerly stood, heavily favoring its left leg. Jolteon flashed forward again as the Rhydon roared and brought its shining arms down, slamming them into the ground. Ash fell as the ground shook and cracked, while Jolteon jumped, legs shining brightly once again as he landed on the drill Pokémon's back and stamped down on the back of its head.

The ground type slumped to the ground and the shaking stopped as Jolteon hopped off of its back and stepped towards Ash who was shakily standing back up and pulling a poke ball from his belt. The teen tossed it, striking the head of Rhydon and was sucked inside. It shook once. Twice. Then a light metallic ping played and the poke ball sat still.

Ash jumped and yelled in excitement, Jolteon howling along merrily beside him. His first caught Pokémon and it was a Rhydon! A freaking Rhydon! The adrenaline pumping in his veins didn't slow as Ash continued to yell excitedly and ran up to the poke ball.

Until a deep rumble doused it like a bucket of ice water. Ash looked up to see the largest Rhydon, most likely the leader staring at him. Ash grinned sheepishly. The ground type snorted and waved Ash off, turning and bellowing, causing the rest of the Rhydon and Rhyhorn to fall in a line behind him as they set off.

Ash couldn't wipe the grin off of his face as he watched them go and then walked away himself, back to Pewter to have the newest addition of his team checked at the Poke center.

xX Journeyman Xx

 **Thought I might try my hand at a pokemon story :). Thought about throwing the gym battle in as well but decided to put it in the next chapter, this one is long enough!**

 **So in my story this is how it breaks down for owning pokemon**

 **14 years old (entering high school)- can apply for trainers license and own one pokemon  
15- two pokemon  
16- three pokemon  
17- six pokemon  
18- unlimited pokemon (Providing you have the funds and ability to care for them all)**

 **Because I sure as hell know I wasn't mature enough (or smart enought) at 10 to handle giant fire breathing lizards.  
**

 **Ash now has a full license because of Oak, so he can have unlimited pokemon. Just needed a reason for Ash and Gary to not have a full team before they left on their journey, but still have experience.**


End file.
